Adventure Magazine Cover — page 189: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Dragon’s Claw “Neill and I will join you when you have taken off your wraps, Helen,” he said. She looked anxiously at him and then nodded. “In the drawing-room,” she replied. The men went into the library. Remsden poured brandy and gulped it down. Then he sank into the cushions of a big chair like a man of ninety. “What is the matter with Helen, Neill?” he asked thickly. “Leprosy,” aaewere McNeill bluntly. Remsden clawed at the arms of the chair, gasping for breath and speech. “My God!” he said. ‘I never thought— Ten Shin said—he said that—as a bruised plum is to a rotten fruit, as a stained pearl to a bowl of slime, so should my punishment be compared to hers. Oh, my God, Neill!” “Brace up,’ snapped McNeill. ‘What else did he say? About the claw?” “T am to show it him at the museum tomorrow—Tao Chan I mean. He is to handle it. The princes will be there. We—we may adjust matters. I do not know. I can not trust them. I must see Helen.”’ McNeill guessed what the adjustment would be. A little legerdemain, such as Wilson had shown in the desert, this time with Tao Chan as the prestidigitator. But had Remsden already been inoculated? How was he to be cured? And Helen? ‘There are various degrees of leprosy, of course,” he said. ‘Do you fancy that you are already infected?” Remsden nodded. “T know it,” he groaned. “Something pricked my palm when I shook hands with Ten Shin, and he smiled when [ started. But Helen—Helen has an anti- 175 dote. I shall receive tomorrow after——”’ “The claws are exchanged,” supplied McNeill. “Let us go into the drawing- room.” They found the girl waiting and McNeill, answering a plea in Remsden’s eyes, put the question to her: “What happened in the tent? I can imagine that Tao Chan hypnotized you and questioned you. By so doing he could confirm my statement to the princes of your innocence in the stealing and sub- stitution of the claw. But what did he say that you remember?” one “Why he told me that I had been suffering . from some trouble with my hands but - that I should soon be entirely well again. He gave me this.” She showed a tiny phial of gray jade wonderfully carven in the shape of a dragon and stoppered with a dragon’s claw of gold that held a tiny ball of crystal. Within were some pellets of dull orange color. ‘These are to be taken one every hour,” she said, “‘dissolved in hot water. already taken one and I can feel a tingling in my numb finger.”’ She held it out for inspection. Remsden looked at it with a shudder. ‘“‘And he said that Mr. Remsden was in danger of sickness that was to be averted by the medicine that he, Tao Chan, would give him tomorrow. Are you to see him tomorrow?”’ “Ves,” answered Remsden. “Thank God I am. Good night, you two. Good night.” They watched him leave the room, feeble, bowed, a man old before his time. Then youth turned to youth. I have © com a ‘books. co